Reviews

Reviewer:oldfarte -
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September 28, 2011 Subject:
I knows it when I sees it

I am not a big time movie cricket but i know what i like and I liked this one. I cannot stand network tv so I appreciate this source so much. I watch most every nite and almost always find something that is entertaining. This Hollywood mess today with everyone jumping on each others bones just makes me want to hurl. These old movies depended some what on acting not on how big their breasts are...

Reviewer:Jonnie King -
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March 6, 2011 Subject:
Great Period "Radio" Mystery/Comedy !

After many decades in Broadcasting I can attest to the fact that some of the "early" (1920's-1950's) Studios were similar to the one created here.

This is a fun mystery/comedy with lots of GREAT B-Film Stars in the lineup. Donald Woods, William Lundigan,Edward Van Sloan, Joe Downing, et al, do a solid job. Interesting to see a "young" Lee J. Cobb in the cast, as well as a young (Peter)Lind Hayes.

Hayes never reached the stature he should have...he was extremely versatile. Did some nice work with his wife, Mary Healy.

I met Hayes in New York in 1973. He was amazed that ANYBODY would remember him...but I reinforced the fact that I ALWAYS appreciated his work.

Back to the movie: Watch it, enjoy it ! Unlike a previous Post, remember films - especially those of this genre' - are made with "Artistic License" and don't necessarily have to reflect "reality".

One of the major inconsistencies was when a man is murdered or even just dies and the police are never called and no ambulance called. In a major radio studio one would think police would be there long before reporters from newspapers, but in this movie the first order of business is a quite public coverup that everyone except police are in on.
That alone kills the credibility of the movie, but be that as it may I'll go watch the rest then comment from there later.

Reviewer:billbarstad -
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July 18, 2010 Subject:
I'll Watch This One Again

This is one of the better mystery/comedies here at IA. First off, the names are funny: radio station WGAB, Steenie MacCorkle (Played by gorgeous Nan Grey, who has the same vacant look in the eyes as that of Anna Paquin as Sookie Stackhouse of True Blood. Neither are dumb blondes.), Caesar Kluck, the first murder victim, and Finney Fish who talks on the phone to a sponsor, Mr. Fatsnapple, at the beginning of the movie.

The humor continues through a fast, wisecracking first act. The pace slows a little afterward, but the dialog stays bright. The hero was a little too observant for me to believe. There were the usual red herrings, a gangster, but no dumb cops. This wasn't a mystery that can be figured out, and there wasn't anyone left at the end I wanted to suspect. The ending itself seemed to fizzle.

The movie has a good cast, led by Donald Woods, a character actor I remember from the movie 13 Ghosts and many TV appearances in the 1950s and '60s. He and Nan Grey (aka Nan Gray) play well enough off one another. Other solid actors present are Berton Churchill (Kluck), seen in The Black Raven, and in small parts, Lee J. Cobb and Johnny Arthur (who was very funny in The Ghost Walks).

Wonderful humouruos dialogue throughout, some parts of the story stress credibility, but it doesn´t matter.

I was really surprised seeing the young Lee J. Cobb (he was 27 years of age) in this movie playing the father of a woman which really was only four years younger than himself (the actress I mean!). Maybe I shouldn´t be surprised because a mixture of make up and good acting will always help making such things believeable.